The golf swing, learn to trust it.

Why do most golfers perform better at the driving range than on the golf course? How can a golfer hit beautiful shots while practicing, then take their game to the course and fail to do anything right?

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

We can offer several reasons for this paradox. First, there is no pressure to make a shot while practicing. Since your mis-hits don't count, you'll be able to take another swing without any consequences.

When playing on the course, however, the element of pressure will increase with each mis-hit.

Secondly, the scenery remains the same while practicing, since you're hitting from the same spot every time, regardless of the club you use.

It becomes more difficult on the course because the landscape is constantly changing, which means that you are swinging from a different location every time. You are continuously entering a different set of circumstances regarding the tee shot, your position on the fairway, and your approach to the green at every hole.

Although many hazards don't often come into play, the casual golfer can become overly conscious of their presence and begin to feel anxiety about shots that can land in the woods, the water, high rough, or sand traps.

Beginner and intermediate golfers have a tendency to dwell on this aspect of the game, and can easily create muscle tension that will impact their swing.

Thirdly, at the driving range you have the privilege of having unlimited time to practice your swing without waiting for another person to hit in your foursome. This opportunity to work on the tempo of your swing without any interruptions will permit you to make any necessary adjustments.

This is different on the golf course because everyone in your foursome hits in a particular order and you may only take one shot at a time. Since this usually occurs at varying time intervals, it becomes more difficult to maintain the rhythm of your swing.

Lastly, unlike the golf course where you must hit the ball as it lies, the range gives you the luxury of hitting off a soft mat--which gives you a good lie as well as an easier chance to make a smooth, effortless swing.

The factors that create pressure on the golf course demand the amateurs to make adjustments in their mental approach. The ordinary golfer is unaware of how to process all the information he/she is confronted with while trying to play the game. Faced with playing situations that keep changing, it is not uncommon for the golfer to experience indecisiveness and then confusion--a state of mind that can wreak havoc with your golf swing because it interferes with focusing on the task at hand.

It isn't easy to think and hit at the same time. The swing in both baseball and golf requires total concentration and rapid reflex action. The golfer must narrow his focus down to the shot he is about to execute. Other thoughts like worrying about your score or the mechanics of your swing only serve as impediments.

The casual golfer may also fall into a quagmire of negative thinking after making an errant shot or scoring poorly on the previous hole.

This simple incident can lead to pressure and have a devastating outcome. Even though the amateur may try harder to play well, a snow-balling chain of events will result in numerous mis-hits that can cause him to lose complete control of the game.

Dr. David Cook, a sports psychologist, advises golfers not to jam their heads with unnecessary thoughts nor force themselves to make a perfect shot.

This approach will only produce more muscle tension, which, in turn, will cause the average golfer to grip the club tighter and swing it harder, leading to disaster.

How can we transfer our good swing mechanics from the practice range to the golf course? A mental technique in sports known as visual imagery may be helpful. This involves viewing oneself (almost like conscious dreaming) playing on a specific golf course that you have previously played on and are familiar with.

You attempt to capture a picture of your performance in your mind. For instance, while swinging your driver at the practice range, you can imagine yourself at the first tee preparing to hit your first shot.

You pretend to go through a pre-shot routine by making only the decisions necessary to produce a successful swing.

All golfers, regardless of their skill level, must ask themselves three basic questions prior to each shot:

Where is my target?

Which club should I use?

What type of swing should I make?

The answer to the first question directs your attention solely on your aim and alignment. Nothing else matters.

The answer to the second question depends on the distance each club allows you to hit the ball consistently while practicing at the range. Knowing that you can hit the ball a specific distance with one particular club six out of 10 times gives you good reason to trust that club for this particular shot.

The answer to the third question is also dictated by your distance from the target. However, in this case you must decide whether to take a full swing necessitating complete weight transfer, or a modified swing required to execute the more delicate pitch and chip shots.

To make this visual perception work at the range, you must observe and analyze the results of your shots as if you were actually playing on the course. You must store the information as soon as you receive the feedback on ball-flight trajectory, distance, and accuracy. These points lay the groundwork on which to build confidence.

Before your next shot, you should repeat the three basic decisions. The plan is to pretend to play as many holes on the course that you choose, to keep track of the different locations that you may be hitting from, the type of shot you must make--i.e., the tee shot, from the fairway or, from the rough--while being aware of your score, excluding putting strokes.

By adhering to this strategy, the golfer is trying to imagine the pressure that he may encounter under the varying playing conditions, while actually executing the shot in a practice scenario. This can be compared to a quarterback throwing footballs with loudspeakers at full blast to emulate the crowd noise that he will encounter during a real game.

This mental approach at the practice range may help eliminate unnecessary thoughts that can influence a golfer's swing. Dr. Cook advocates that in order to build confidence in our game we must feel comfortable and relaxed while practicing "shot-making" at the driving range.

This can be achieved by learning to build trust in our swing, which we can develop by believing in our method of practice. This simplified touch will enable you to perform well on the golf course.

If we can reduce our thinking to just a visual image that triggers a switch that reads, "See it, feel it, and trust it," success will be more easily attained.

Success in golf can go a long way with the proper mental perspective. Dr. Bob Rotella emphasizes that a player will not score as well as

he should if he allows himself to think about swing mechanics while he is playing. He points out that in order to improve, a golfer must practice his swing and his mind.

Florio DeGaetano, Wellness/Exercise Science Dept. Bergen Community College (NJ)